Rubio Calls for DOJ Probe Into TikTok CEO’s Possible Perjury

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 23, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) requested that Attorney General Merrick Garland launch an investigation into potential perjury committed by TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in a June 1 press release and May 31 letter.

Rubio’s letter (pdf) to the attorney general highlights Chew’s allegedly false statement made under oath during his testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce regarding the data-security practices of TikTok.

Rubio expressed his concerns about Chew’s credibility, stating, “Chew should be held accountable for making false statements about material facts related to TikTok’s operation, as he appears to have done in this case.”

The senator called for a thorough investigation to determine whether Chew committed perjury when he denied that TikTok stored the user data of Americans in China. Rubio emphasized the importance of transparency in informing the American people about the potential threats posed by TikTok.

The letter sent to Garland details the evidence suggesting Chew’s perjury. During his testimony on March 23, Chew stated under oath that TikTok’s American users’ data was stored in the United States and Singapore, explicitly denying any storage in China.

Recent reports have revealed, however, that sensitive data, including Social Security numbers and tax identification numbers, was stored in China, making it accessible to employees of ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company.

Rubio pointed out the concerning relationship between TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has been a subject of national security concern. He referenced warnings from top intelligence officials about the app’s potential threats and the CCP’s access to company data.

Rubio also highlighted the CCP’s history of harvesting personal information, exemplified by the 2015 hack of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, compromising the data of millions of American government workers and their families.

The revelation that TikTok stored sensitive information about American users in China contradicts Chew’s sworn statement and further strengthens concerns about TikTok’s role as a tool of espionage and influence for the CCP.

Rubio concluded his letter by urging the attorney general to investigate Chew’s alleged perjury and to ensure transparency in addressing the threats posed by TikTok.

TikTok and the DOJ did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment.